The End  Ron  Hermione POV
by LilyMoon.x
Summary: The Battle of Hogwarts in the last few chapters of Deathly Hallows, alternating between Ron and Hermione's point of view.  Includes unseen parts such as the Chamber of Secrets scene. :
1. Back to Hogwarts

_Hey :)  
>This is my first proper fanfic, so please review (but be nice... constructive criticism only please!). All characters etc. obviously belong to the awesome JKR, and so does the speech in the parts where Harry is present, because I like things to be like they are in the books. All the bits where Harry isn't there are from my imagination... :P<br>Enjoy!_

_LilyMoon.x_

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><p>Hogwarts. It seemed like so long ago that they had last walked along those stone corridors that so many others had walked before them, familiar yet undiscovered. Hermione couldn't believe that it had only been a few months. It felt like a lifetime. The Hogwarts she remembered belonged to a different world in which colours were brighter, where you could run without looking over your shoulder and laugh freely without fear of being overheard. A world without fear. That was the thing she missed most: that feeling that these days could go on happily forever.<p>

_It's not the same. It's not like that anymore, _she kept reminding herself, drumming it through her head so she wouldn't be disappointed. But she couldn't suppress a flicker of excitement and longing as she followed Neville down the dimly lit passageway from the Hogs Head. Hermione slid a look sideways at Ron and Harry, but their faces were incomprehensible; she could only guess that their emotions were just as mixed up as hers.

"We're here," Neville announced to them after they rounded a final corner. He turned around to face them, grinning broadly. Hermione blinked a few times, trying to penetrate the musty gloom until she could make out a short flight of steps in front of them. Neville scrambled up first and pushed his shoulder against a small door at the top, which creaked open. Bright, welcoming light spilled out onto the steps, and Hermione was gripped by a feeling of yearning for Hogwarts as it used to be, when she, Ron and Harry would sit in the common room for hours by the fire playing exploding snap with Fred and George (a smile curled her lips as she remembered the astonishment on Ron's face the first – and only – time she managed to beat him at chess), when they would sneak out under the invisibility cloak to go and visit Hagrid, when she and Ron would sit bickering in whispers at the back of Transfiguration with Harry trying unsuccessfully to keep the peace...  
>More memories floated back towards her like snowflakes, each one unique but beautiful in some way: laughing at Ron and Harry's promises of eternal servitude if she 'looked over' – i.e. finished writing – their potions essays; sitting on the damp floor of the girls' bathroom secretly brewing polyjuice potion; comparing timetables on the first day of term and moaning about double History of Magic (which she didn't actually mind that much but she joined in anyway); the hours spent inventing new hexes to try out on Malfoy; cheering for Harry and Ron in the Quidditch stands until she was hoarse and her face was numb from the cold...<p>

Her reverie was interrupted as she abruptly realised that the cheering she could hear was not just in her head – it was bursting into her ears from within the room ahead of them.

"HARRY!"  
>"It's Potter, it's POTTER!"<br>"Ron!"  
><em>"Hermione!"<em>

As he emerged into the room, Ron grinned, astonished, at the enthusiasm and the amount of people and the _brightness _of it all after the dark passage. Before he could take in anything else he was being hugged by about five different people at once, and someone else was pounding him on the back, and everyone was firing excited questions at them.

"Where have you been?"  
>"So what have you actually been up to?"<br>"Is it true that you broke into Gringotts and escaped on a dragon?"

"OK, OK, calm down!" roared Neville, and everyone backed off, grinning, so they could all breathe.

Ron looked around at all the familiar faces: Seamus, Parvati, Lavender, Ernie – although he couldn't help noticing that some of them looked a bit worse for wear. Anger at the Carrows and what Hogwarts had become rushed up inside him, but he calmed himself down when Harry asked, "Where are we?" and Ron suddenly noticed that he didn't recognise the room either. Oddly, there were hammocks hanging from the ceiling and from a balcony that ran around the edge of the room. On the wall there were huge tapestries proudly displaying the emblems of Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff; Slytherin was conspicuously absent.

"Room of Requirement, of course!" beamed Neville. "Surpassed itself, hasn't it?" He eagerly explained how he had wanted a place to hide from the Carrows and immediately thought of the Room.

"And the Carrows can't get in?" checked Harry, his eyes searching for the door.

"No," replied Seamus. "As long as one of us stays in here, it's a proper hideout, the door won't open."

Ron couldn't help being impressed. It was the kind of hideout he had always longed for as a kid, and excitement started slowly stirring up inside him for the adventure.

"Tell us what you've been up to, though," interrupted Ernie Macmillan. "You didn't break into Gringotts?"

"They did!" cried Neville proudly. "And the dragon's true too!"

A few people gasped in admiration and others clapped and whooped. Ron couldn't stop himself from taking a mock bow.

"What were you after?" Seamus asked eagerly, but Ron was distracted by Harry clutching at his scar; his eyes went out of focus and he swayed slightly on the spot. Ron quickly reached out to him before he leaned over too far. Vaguely, he heard Neville asking Harry if he was alright, but Harry was looking intensely at Ron and Hermione, trying to convey something to them, probably about the vision he must have just had.


	2. Complications

"We need to get going," Harry said grimly. He was right; they had to find the Horcrux, and fast. Ron nodded.

"What are we going to do then, Harry?" asked Seamus excitedly. "What's the plan?"

"Plan?" repeated Harry, confused. Glancing around the room, Ron could see that everyone else was just as impatient as Seamus. "Well, there's something we – Ron, Hermione and I –" he clarified, "- need to do, and then we'll get out of here."

Faces fell all around them; looks of determination were replaced by confusion and disappointment.

"What d'you mean, 'get out of here'?" asked Neville.

Harry sighed, rubbing his scar; it seemed to be taking him a lot of effort to remain still and patiently explain. "We haven't come back to stay. There's something important we need to do –"

"What is it?" someone interrupted.

"I – I can't tell you."

Disgruntled muttering broke out. Ron's spine prickled uneasily as he felt a growing sense of discomfort – they should have expected this, should have realised that they couldn't just swan back into Hogwarts without causing a stir...

Neville refused to back down. "Why can't you tell us? It's something to do with fighting You-Know-Who, right?"

Harry nodded reluctantly. "Well, yeah –"

"Then we'll help you," Neville announced, looking around at his fellow students for confirmation: they nodded fervently.

Ron could tell Harry was getting more frustrated. "You don't understand. We – we can't tell you. We've got to do it – alone," he insisted.

Neville and the others immediately began to try and convince him that they were Dumbledore's Army, and they were ready to fight, to do whatever was needed. Ron heard a noise behind him; turning towards it, he saw Luna and Dean climbing through the portrait hole. "We got your message, Neville!" called Dean, holding up his DA galleon, before he was engulfed in a bear hug by an ecstatic Seamus.

"Hi, everyone! Oh, it's great to be back!" smiled Luna happily as she floated into the room.

"Luna, what are you doing here?" asked Harry, looking uncomfortable that more people were turning up. "How did you –"

"I sent for them," Neville said proudly, displaying his own fake galleon. "I promised her and Ginny that if you turned up I'd let them know. We all thought that if you came back, it would mean revolution. That we were going to overthrow Snape and the Carrows."

Ron's heart dropped to his feet like a stone. Neville had just confirmed what he had feared. Neville – all of them – were so convinced that it was true. Everyone expected them to lead some sort of rebellion – how could they get out to try and find the Horcrux now?

"Of course that's what it means," assured Luna confidently. "Isn't it, Harry? We're going to fight them out of Hogwarts?"

Ron could see the panic and desperation form on Harry's face as he interjected, "Listen. I'm sorry, but that's not what we came back for. There's something we've got to do, and then –"

"You're going to leave us in this mess?" said Michael Corner angrily.

"No!" Ron butted in – he had to help somehow. "What we're doing will benefit everyone in the end, it's all about trying to get rid of You-Know-Who –"

"Then let us help!" demanded Neville. "We want to be a part of it!"

Despairing, Ron raked a hand through his hair. Noticing that Harry was staring behind him at the door to the tunnel, he whipped round. His eyes widened, and his breath caught in his throat as he saw a flash of familiar ginger hair; it was Ginny with Fred and George. His breath escaped out of his lungs as he found himself grinning uncontrollably. Inexplicably, he felt lighter, like a breath of fresh air after thick stifling fog. He hadn't realised, all this time, how it had weighed him down with unconscious worry relentlessly lurking in the back of his mind about his family. For a moment, merely seeing his brothers and sister again, all in one piece (well, almost, in George's case, but the missing ear at least was nothing new) caused a wave of relief to wash over him, cleansing away everything else. Even the elation he had felt after hearing their voices on the radio, like a little light in the darkness, was nothing compared to them actually standing there before him.

"Hey! You're – you're here!" he yelled out gruffly, then cleared his throat, embarrassed.

"How very observant of you, little brother," George smirked, raising one eyebrow at him. The indifferent expression quickly broke into a smile as he roughly pulled Ron into a bear hug. Out of the corner of his eye Ron could see Fred, usual mischievous grin in place, greeting everyone's excited cries as he high-fived Lee Jordan.

"So what's the plan, Harry?" said George, rubbing his hands together with gusto.

"There isn't one –" attempted Harry weakly, before he was cut off by Fred.

"Just going to make it up as we go along, are we? My favourite kind."

Fred yelled in surprise as his younger brother attacked him with a hug, having sneaked up behind him.

"Alright Ron, I know you're pleased to see me – can't say I blame you – but you're cutting off my circulation here, mate."

Laughing, Ron released his brother, who massaged his neck melodramatically. Behind him, Ron could hear Harry hissing to Neville, "What did you call them all back for? This is insane!"

Overhearing, Dean demanded, "We're fighting, aren't we?"

Ron was struck by a flash of inspiration. They had to find this Horcrux, and fast. It would be much quicker if they had help – the three of them could spend hundreds of years searching the huge castle and still not find anything.

"Why can't they help?" he asked Harry. Harry's jaw dropped. "What?"

"They can help," Ron repeated seriously. He lowered his voice and Hermione leaned closer to both of them. "We don't know where it is. We've got to find it fast. We don't have to tell them it's a Horcrux."

A taut, expectant silence fell between them as they both looked towards Hermione.


	3. Inspiration

_**Hey, guys! Thanks for reading this – I can't believe how many people have looked at it already! Anyway, sorry the first two chapters were quite short – I think this one's a bit longer. Thankyou to my first reviewers :) ...but I wouldn't mind some more, haha :P Enjoy!**_

_**LilyMoon.x**_

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><p>Both boys' anxious faces were turned towards Hermione. She could tell Ron was willing her to agree, to try and convince Harry, who still looked doubtful. Could they risk it? How could they even ask for help if they didn't know what they were looking for? But they had even less chance of finding the Horcrux on their own. Hogwarts was huge; no-one could ever discover all of its secrets. She felt a twinge of pain and realised she had been gnawing on her lip in her indecision. Ron met her eyes determinedly, quieting her barrage of worries. His idea would have to work. It was their only chance of finding the Horcrux.<p>

"I think Ron's right," she whispered. Harry still looked unsure, so she added, "We don't even know what we're looking for, we need them." She paused and looked him right in the eyes. "You don't have to do everything alone, Harry."

She could practically hear the cogs working furiously in Harry's mind as his eyes flickered rapidly between the serious expressions on her face and Ron's. Eventually he murmured, "All right."

Harry nodded once more as if to convince himself, turned around to face the mass of people and raised his voice. "Right." One word from Harry Potter and the room immediately fell silent. Hermione found herself in awe of the power Harry unwittingly held over all of these people. It both impressed and frightened her: she and Ron knew better than anyone that Harry didn't really know what he was doing. Everyone looked expectantly at Harry. Hermione could feel the room thrumming with energy, the feeling growing more tangible now that it seemed like something had been decided.

"There's something we need to find," Harry was saying. "Something – something that'll help us overthrow You-Know-Who. It's here at Hogwarts, but we don't know where." He hesitated, then continued, "It might have belonged to Ravenclaw. Has anyone ever heard of an object like that?"

Nobody said anything. Harry prompted desperately, "Has anyone ever come across something with her eagle on it, for instance?"

Silence. Then a dreamy voice spoke up from the corner. "Well there's her lost diadem." Luna smiled at Harry, who returned it with a blank look.

"I told you about it, remember, Harry? The lost diadem of Ravenclaw? Daddy's trying to duplicate it –" Hermione suddenly remembered the peculiar object sitting proudly atop the head of a bust of Ravenclaw during their ominous discussion with Xenophilius Lovegood.

"Yeah, but the lost diadem is _lost_, Luna. That's sort of the point," Michael Corner interrupted, rolling his eyes.

"When was it lost?" asked Harry intensely, not taking his eyes off Luna. But it was Cho who replied, "Centuries ago, they say. Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself. People have looked, but nobody's ever found a trace of it," she turned to other Ravenclaws around her for confirmation, "have they?" They all shook their heads.

"Sorry, but what _is_ a diadem?" Ron asked, his face scrunching up in confusion. Bizarrely, despite the situation, Hermione couldn't help smiling secretly at how young he looked when he made that expression; it reminded her of Second Year when they were trying to turn hedgehogs into pincushions in Transfiguration.

Terry Boot explained, "It's a kind of crown. Ravenclaw's was supposed to have magical properties, enhance the wisdom of the wearer."

"Yes, daddy's Wrackspurt Siphons –"

"And none of you have ever seen anything that looks like it?" asked Harry urgently, cutting across Luna. Hermione waited tensely, not daring to hope: but everyone shook their heads dejectedly. Harry turned to look at her and Ron, looking utterly lost. All of a sudden he seemed to shrink back to that small eleven-year-old boy with the untidy black hair who didn't know how to get to Platform 9¾. She wanted to reassure him, but she feared that his look was mirrored on her face.

"If you want to see what the diadem's supposed to look like," suggested Cho gently, "I could take you up to our common room and show you, Harry? Ravenclaw's wearing it in her statue."

Before Harry could reply, he flinched and his hand flew up to his scar as his eyes momentarily swam out of focus. He recovered and muttered simply to Ron and Hermione, "He's on the move."

Hermione bit her lip nervously. They clearly weren't getting anywhere fast. They needed to decide something, some way to find this impossible Horcrux whilst somehow keeping everyone out of danger...

Harry glanced uncomfortably at Cho, and then said in a low voice to them, "Listen, I know it's not much of a lead, but I'm going to go and look at this statue, at least find out what the diadem looks like." He glanced around again, and then murmured, "Wait for me here and keep, you know – the other one – safe." Hermione nodded. She heard Ginny say rather fiercely, "No, Luna will take Harry, won't you, Luna?"

Hermione looked up towards Ginny and saw her glaring at Cho, who appeared to have just stood up. Cho quailed slightly and looked away, perching meekly on the nearest chair behind her. Hermione pressed her lips together with suppressed mirth; Ginny certainly knew how to get what she wanted. It clearly wasn't obvious to Harry though, who seemed oblivious to Ginny's manipulation as he obediently followed Luna out of the room, shooting a fleeting meaningful look back towards her and Ron.

It was clear Ron wasn't happy staying behind: he kept fidgeting and shifting from foot to foot.

"We need to do something, Hermione, we can't just hang around here waiting for him to come back."

"I know Ron, but – " she bit her lip, shaking her head, "what can we do?"

He began to pace restlessly, glaring at anyone who looked like they were about to interrupt his thinking. Eventually he whirled around.

"Hermione – "

She looked up abruptly, curious. "What is it?"

He spoke urgently, in a low voice. "Even if we find this Horcrux, how are we going to destroy it?"

She stared at him as her heart dropped like a stone. Her mind began working furiously, but it wouldn't conjure up any answers. "I – I don't know," she whispered dejectedly.

He was frowning, his gaze almost burning a hole into the floor. "If only we still had Gryffindor's sword," he moaned. "That goblin – if I ever see him again I'll..." he tailed off, muttering under his breath; curses and hexes and other things which probably involved goblin-pain.

Hermione pressed her lips together in frustration. "Ron, stop it, this isn't helping!"

"Well you're supposed to be the smart one – you think of something!" he snapped.

"I'm trying!" She turned away from him angrily. _Think, Hermione, think – _

A cheery voice piped up, "Hey Ron, Hermione, how's it going? Got any plans?"

Hermione whipped her head around in irritation, then tried to swallow her anger when she saw the innocently hopeful face of Colin Creevey. Ron wasn't quite as successful: his hands had bunched into fists and he had a thunderous look on his face. Before Ron could do anything stupid, Hermione said quickly, in a voice far too jovial and oddly high-pitched, "Oh hi, Colin. Yeah, we're just, um – deciding some things now. But," she added hurriedly, "I think we should all wait until Harry comes back before we do anything, don't you?"

Colin's eager little face fell slightly, but he nodded solemnly. Suddenly Ron burst out, "Oi, Creevey, what are you doing here? You're a midget, you can't fight!"

Hermione had to struggle not to smile as Colin's mouth dropped open in a perfect 'O'. "That's not fair! And I'm not a midget!" he cried indignantly.

"Don't worry, Colin, he didn't mean it – " said Hermione, but Colin had already turned on his heel and walked off in a huff. Hermione couldn't help it; she started laughing, and Ron joined in. Then suddenly he stopped and said slowly, "Wait, Hermione..."

She looked at him, questioning. "What?"

"The sword in Dumbledore's office – "

"- It's a f- "

"- I know it's a fake, but – maybe that could destroy Horcruxes too? I mean, it's pretty much identical, right?"

Hermione sighed, managing to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. "Yes it is, Ronald, but the only reason the real sword of Gryffindor destroys horcruxes is because it's impregnated with basilisk venom."

He stopped and gaped at her, looking for all the world as though he'd just been hit in the head with a bludger. "Basilisk venom!"

She shook her head at him, confused.

"That's it! The one thing we need, and we have a ready supply of it here in the castle!" his face had taken on the look of an excitable puppy.

"What?" Hermione cried in exasperation; she couldn't stand feeling like she was missing something. She knew Ron talked a load of doxy droppings sometimes, but really? Basilisk venom? "Will you please tell me what you're going on about?"

He was still looking at her like it was obvious. "The Chamber of Secrets!"

There was a beat of silence. Hermione still felt like she was racing to keep up; she blinked, feeling a bit lightheaded. "Wh- what?"

He grabbed her shoulders and looked down at her. "The basilisk me and Harry - well, OK, Harry – defeated in Second Year... well, it's probably still there... I don't see why anyone would have moved it – I mean, what would you want a dirty great basilisk for? – and there might be some fangs left, we could just go down and get them – "

Hermione shook herself free to cut off his rambling. "So... you want to just pop down to the Chamber of Secrets, skip past the dead basilisk, grab a few fangs, and go and destroy a horcrux?" she said, a tiny sliver of sarcasm creeping into her voice.

He thought about it for a second. "Pretty much, yeah."

She shook her head, feeling slightly dizzy. This seemed too easy, there must be some complication...

"Ron, we can't just go down there – "

"Why not?" he demanded.

"Because..."

"It's not dangerous, there's nothing down there anymore!"

In his excitement, he had raised his voice slightly. Ginny turned around, raising an eyebrow at them. "What are you two plotting?"

"Never you mind," cried Ron, grabbing Hermione's arm. "Come on, we have to go to the bathroom."

He dragged her out of the room, leaving Ginny standing staring after them, perplexed.

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><p><em><strong>Yay, Chamber of Secrets chapter next! I've been working on this one for a while, so I hope you're going to like it. Please review! :)<strong>_


	4. Into the Chamber

_**Helloooo! Oh dear... I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to not post for so long. :/ Please don't hurt me! And I'm afraid it's not an extremely long chapter either. But I have very nearly finished the next one so I'll try and put you out of your misery soon, honest! I just wanted to make sure that everything was building up in the right way... but anyway, review if you like :)**_

_**LilyMoon.x**_

Ron's heart raced as he sprinted down the corridor with Hermione following close behind. His feet found the girls' bathroom on the second floor faster than he expected them to; the staircases must have been feeling generous tonight. For a second he was embarrassed at how easy it was to find again – he remembered how often he and Harry had sneaked in with Hermione during their second year to secretly make polyjuice potion, it being the only place they could think of where they would not be discovered. He heard Hermione's ragged breathing behind him; she was clutching at her side and looking at him with one eyebrow raised. He said in a voice more assured than he felt, "Shall we try this then?"

She nodded, still gasping for breath, and followed him into the bathroom. Ron quickly scanned the row of sinks, searching for the one with the snake carved onto the taps. His eyes locked onto it, and he moved towards it –

The realisation crushed him like an avalanche of rock. He was such an idiot. His brilliant plan was useless.

Without Harry to speak Parseltongue, they had no way of getting in.

Without warning, a rush of anger surged up inside of him. Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One... why did they always have to depend on Harry? Why couldn't Ron do anything useful for himself? Of course, it was Harry that figured out how to save Ginny from the Basilisk, Harry that knew that Ron's dad had been attacked by Nagini whilst his own family were helpless to do anything about it – it was always Harry, brilliant, courageous, wonderful Harry. Unbidden, the voice from the Horcrux crooned maliciously in his ears: "_Who would ever look at you, beside Harry Potter? What are you, compared with the Boy Who Lived?"_

Screwing up his face to stop the hot tears, Ron kicked fiercely at one of the sink pipes in frustration, although neither the loud echoing clang it made nor the grim satisfaction of the pain in his toes succeeded in blocking out the voice.

"What's the matter, Ron?" Hermione asked quietly. He didn't answer, staring at the tiny snake as if the force of his gaze alone could coerce it into opening.

"Ron?"

He exhaled loudly and wearily scraped his hands through his hair. He replied dully, "You have to speak Parseltongue to the snake to get it to open. I forgot."

She frowned. "So how did you –?" Her face cleared as the thought occurred to her. "– Oh, you had Harry with you last time, didn't you?"

_Thanks for reminding me, Hermione. _He nodded, scowling.

She fell into a brooding silence, probably trying to come up with some loophole or a spell that could trick the snake-tap into letting them in.

_I can't believe this. _Ron resisted the urge to kick the pipe again – he wasn't sure it would stay attached to the wall with the force of his aggravation. He turned away from Hermione, and his eyes immediately fell on the little snake, taunting him. As he stared at it, a blurry memory slowly began to emerge in his mind: Harry staring intensely at the snake, the way he himself was now, and whispering to it, hissing...

The memory wasn't as blurry as he thought. In fact, he was pretty sure he could almost remember the sound... _almost. _

_Think, Ron, think. _His feet had been shifting restlessly beneath him; abruptly he looked up and slowly and deliberately moved a few steps to his right. Ignoring Hermione's curious look, he shifted forwards a fraction. _There. _He found himself standing in exactly the spot his twelve-year-old self had stood in five years ago, gazing in awe at his best friend as this strange language slithered off his tongue. He could picture Harry's face scrunched up in concentration beneath his tousled dark hair... his mouth contorting slightly to produce the peculiar sounds... those sounds...

-x-

"_Hyassshaaa..."_

Hermione's eyes nearly fell out of her head. Ron had finally lost it. _What is he doing?_

He made the noise again, his eyebrows twisting furiously as his mouth formed the unusual shapes. Hermione's eyes widened as she realised: _he's trying to speak Parseltongue. _Bewildered, she stood still, trying not to break his focus. _How is he doing this?_

He tried again, and again, and still nothing happened. She could see he was starting to lose his motivation, and willed him to carry on, still hesitant to speak in case she would ruin it.

He tried several more times. Nothing seemed to be happening.

"Forget it," he said dejectedly. "It was never going to work anyway." He shook his head blearily. "Let's just – go and find Harry, and – "

_We can't give up now... _ "Come on, Ron," Hermione suggested hopefully. "One more time?"

"I don't see the point; it's not like it'll make a difference anyway..." he protested, but nevertheless he reluctantly positioned himself by the snake tap again and took a deep breath.

"_Hyassshaaa..."_

He looked at her as if to say 'Look, I told you so,' but Hermione was looking intently at the tap. "I'm sure it moved very slightly," she whispered, excited, and looked up at him eagerly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You think?" he said sceptically, but she could see he was already preparing himself to try again.

"_Hyassshaaa –"_

There was an echoing scrape of stone against stone as the tap began to glow, blindingly bright. Hermione held her breath and gripped Ron's arm. _He actually did it!_

His face was as astounded as hers. Neither of them spoke as the sink gratingly sank down into the floor to reveal a large chute descending into inky blackness.

Hermione glanced at Ron, and back to the bottomless hole. "Do we, um – " she cleared her throat to try and conceal her nerves, "Do we just have to – jump?"

"Yep," he said with fake cheer. His expression hastily became serious when he saw the look on her face, and he said in a low voice, "Do you want me to go first?"

_Yes! _she almost shrieked at him, before realising that if he went first, she would have to force herself to jump after him – and that might not happen.

"N-no," she choked slightly. "I – I'll go first."

His eyes were full of concern. "Are you sure?"

Hermione pressed her lips together and nodded.

Ron still looked worried. "Well, look, I'll be right behind you, okay?"

"Alright." She smiled briefly at him and stepped forward to the edge of the abyss. The smile abruptly fell off her face as her pulse began to rush. _I can't just jump down there!_

"Hermione, look at me." He was gazing at her intently. "Are you sure you don't want me to go first?"

Her gaze flickered between his face and the black hole before her. "I..."

His tone was low and reassuring. "Look, it's really not as bad as it looks. It only lasts a few seconds, and it doesn't hurt when you reach the bottom."

_Because everything's covered in slime, _he remembered not to add. "Just think of it like a ride at a - one of those muggle things, what are they called? – oh yeah, a funfair. One of those."

She couldn't help smiling at his dopey attempt to make her feel better; she had to admit it worked.

"Okay, I'm going."

"I'm right behind you," he repeated steadily.

_Deep breath, Hermione. _

She jumped.


	5. The Chamber of Secrets

_**Well, ta-dah! Here it is, finally! So sorry I made you all wait so long – I really hope it lives up to your expectations... **_

_**Please review!**_

_**LilyMoon.x**_

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><p>Ron was falling, whizzing down through the blackness, faster and faster, although the pipe seemed so much tighter now – he was not longer twelve years old, like the last time he had been down it. He tried to suppress that thought to stop his chest constricting, but still found himself holding his breath as he slithered down the slimy chute; or maybe the speed just made him forget to breathe.<p>

He heard Hermione squeal ahead of him, amplified and distorted by the metal pipe, and then it levelled out and he shot out into a stone chamber, landing in an ungainly fashion on the slippery floor. He stood up gingerly, feeling a bit bruised from being flung from side to side in the pipe.

"Are you okay?" he half-grunted in Hermione's direction. She hadn't moved from where she had flown to on the floor.

"Hermione, it helps if you breathe."

She let out a shaky breath which turned into a nervous giggle. She looked at him with an 'I-can't-quite-believe-that-just-happened' expression, gasping, "I think that might just have been scarier than riding Buckbeak..."

Ron grinned, and then pulled a grumpy face. "I wouldn't know, I never got to ride him... Wait, come on, the Thestrals have got to be worse – you couldn't even see what you were riding on that time!"

She cracked a smile as he pulled her to her feet, but it quickly vanished as she looked down the murky passageway ahead of them. Ron didn't let go of her hand.

"Come on, I promise you it'll be safe," he assured her. She nodded and they advanced forwards, their hesitant steps echoing eerily.

"Lumos," Hermione whispered, holding her wand aloft. Ron followed suite, but it did little to pierce the gloom. They continued down the tunnel.

At some point – it must have only been a few minutes later, although it felt like longer – Ron noticed an untidy pile of large rocks heaped up against the walls either side of the tunnel, and realised that this must have been where he and Lockhart were separated from Harry last time.

_So that means... I don't know what comes next. _Ron swallowed. _It's safe, there's nothing down here, _he repeated in his head like a mantra.

_How long have we been down here?_

"We should probably hurry up a bit," he suggested, and began to walk more purposefully. He could see a hazy shape rising out of the gloom, which sharpened as they approached, and was eventually revealed as a solid wall blocking their path.

Ron frowned. "What?" he said incredulously. "I don't get it. Have we missed a turn or something? I'm sure there were no other passages leading off this one..."

Hermione moved closer to the wall and ran her fingers over it. "Ron, come here."

Moving closer, Ron could see that engraved in the wall was a pattern of two large snakes, entwined. Hermione turned to him, her eyes widening in comprehension. "What if it's like the tap?"

"Do you mean I have to – "

"Do you think you could speak Parseltongue again? You managed it earlier – "

Ron hesitated. "But it took ages..."

She looked at him imploringly. "Just try. How else are we going to get in?"

-x-

Ron's face contorted as he concentrated on the snake. He made the strange hissing sound again.

For a moment nothing happened.

Then the wall cracked thunderously down the centre, splitting the two snakes apart, and the two halves slid smoothly into the walls of the tunnel. Hermione gaped at him. "How do you do that?"

Ron shrugged, but he did look quite proud of himself. "Hey, first time, that one! I'm getting better at this."

Hermione couldn't help smiling at him: he was so sweet. The way the corner of his mouth curled up when he was trying not to smile...

With regret, she forcefully dragged herself back to the present. _We're in the Chamber of Secrets. There could be a battle going on up in the castle. We _need_ to get the fangs and find the Horcrux._

Suddenly the urgency of their situation became icily clear. Wordlessly she shot Ron a determined look and stepped into the Chamber.

It was long, very long; the far side of it stretched away into the gloom, which had an eerie greenish tinge. Rows of cracked stone pillars towered over her like silent sentries, ancient and intimidating. It made her feel very small. The place was lit very dimly from shadowy lamps attached to the walls, but instead of making the chamber more welcoming the flickering light only made it seem more sinister.

The hushed sound of her heavy breathing was too loud; she knew it was ridiculous, but she had an inexplicable fear of – awakening something. Something that was surely lurking in the shadows, just out of sight –

She nearly screamed when she felt something brush her hand; her eyes raced to it, and she realised it was only Ron beside her.

_Breathe, Hermione, breathe. _Belatedly, she realised she had grabbed his hand in her fright. She glanced sideways at him with an attempt at an apologetic expression, but he avoided her gaze. Childishly, she didn't want to let go: it made her feel safer. He didn't let go either (although maybe she was cutting off his circulation so it was impossible, she wasn't sure), so she took an unsteady step forward, willing her heart to stop beating so fast.

-x-

Together they continued down the chamber.

_Is it my imagination, or does it just keep going forever?_

It evidently didn't, because eventually he could make out a colossal stone statue looming out of the gloom. It was as high as the Chamber itself, and if he craned his neck he could just see a huge, ancient-looking face, wizened and imposing. He felt Hermione shudder, and glancing at her he realised what she was looking at: at the foot of the statue lay the huge skeleton of the Basilisk. It was as wide as Ron was tall, and the jaws – ripped wide open as if in a screech of pain – displayed terrifyingly wicked-looking fangs thicker than his arm. The sharp points glittered menacingly in the flickering light.

He squeezed Hermione's hand and tried to knock some assurance into his voice.

"Right, well, here we are. I guess we need to just – get the fangs then, and then we can go..."

Hermione nodded, not taking her eyes off the Basilisk. Slowly and steadily she raised her wand, and with a silent incantation several fangs wrenched themselves from the mouth of the Basilisk and flew towards her. She appraised them with a slightly uneasy but purposeful look, cleared her throat softly and suggested, "So – do you think we should get rid of the cup now, or wait until we find Harry? I suppose it might be easier to do it here where there aren't too many people around..."

_And where there isn't a battle raging around us – _

Ron had been trying not to think it, but his mind kept flickering towards what could be happening in the rest of the castle. What were they all doing now, his friends, the people he loved? Were they managing to keep up the dance one step away from the danger? Or –

He couldn't allow himself to consider the alternatives. With effort, he hauled his mind back down to the Chamber, and the Horcrux.

"Yeah," he agreed, rubbing a hand across his face wearily, "I think you're right. We should do it now."

She nodded absent-mindedly, her gaze sliding over the fangs in her hands.

"You do it, Hermione." She looked at him, startled. The words had even taken him by surprise: why did it just seem right that she should stab the Horcrux?

A niggling thought crept up on him, reaching out with ice-cold fingers: _you're scared._

He tried desperately to deny it, but the shameful memory of the taunts of the last Horcrux before he managed to silence it still wound their way through his mind.

-x-

"You do it, Hermione."

Hermione stared at Ron in shock; he was looking at her solemnly. "I think it should be you. I stabbed the locket, and Harry did the diary... I dunno, I just feel like you need to kill this one."

Hermione bit her lip anxiously as her eyes flicked to the innocent-looking golden cup. "I don't – I don't know if I can," she whispered.

"I know you can. You're stronger than you think, Hermione." A tiny grimace flickered across his face as if he regretted saying the last part out loud, but Hermione felt touched. "Thanks," she said softly.

"Okay." Taking a deep shaky breath, she turned reluctantly back towards the cup and sat on her knees in front of it. Ron handed her the fang; it felt crude and clumsy in her hand. She pressed her lips together determinedly and swallowed, not taking her eyes off the cup. _I can do this._ If Ron believed in her, it had to be true. She tensed her shaking hand around the fang and raised it slowly. Then she thrust it down violently, but before she reached the cup there was an explosion of light and sound and she flinched backwards. A black, writhing smoky mass was swirling in the air above the cup – the sight of it made Hermione shudder, although she wasn't sure why – and it began to whirl faster and faster until it suddenly plunged into the cup. There was an echoing silence.

Shaking, Hermione slowly inched herself forward onto her knees again so she could gingerly peer into the cup. The smoke had become what looked like murky liquid, and the demonic whirlpool was becoming clearer, like a glassy mirror, until it reflected a distorted image of herself.

_HERMIONE GRANGER, _a voice suddenly boomed. She jumped, afraid. _POOR, LONELY HERMIONE GRANGER. THE ONE WHO'LL NEVER BE LOVED. _The reflection in the cup taunted her; her face was ugly and twisted and all the insecurities she thought she had overcome came flooding back. The image began to warp, all the colour being sucked out as deep wrinkles scarred across her face, which showed only despair and misery. _ALONE FOREVER, _the voice snarled with glee, as the mirror-Hermione shrunk into a corner, showing her in a dark, cell-like room.

"No!" sobbed Hermione, lashing out at the cup and knocking it over. The crash echoed deafeningly around the stone chamber as what looked like water spilled out of the cup, forming a glittering pool. Already another image was twisting into shape in the water; she tried to look away, but her eyes were chained to it with dread.

- x -

Hermione was staring into the cup, transfixed with horror. Ron was rooted to the spot a short distance away from her, every muscle painfully tense, powerless to end her suffering. Suddenly there was a thunderous crash as she hit out at the cup and it flipped over, spilling out a pool of swirling water onto the floor of the chamber.

"Stab it, Hermione!" Ron shouted, but she seemed unable to hear him, still gazing with wild eyes at the reflection, which formed into an image of two people who Ron could guess were her parents. They were smiling – Ron couldn't understand why she seemed so distressed. Then he remembered – how could he have forgotten? – how she had to modify their memories so they forgot they had a daughter. He had been so wrapped up in his own worries, he had never really considered how much that must have hurt her, how much pain it must have caused. His worries of his own family. He suddenly felt unbearably guilty: he had always selfishly considered that being on the run must have been easier for Harry and Hermione, who didn't have to agonise over the unknown fate of their families.

"_It's alright for you two, isn't it, with your parents safely out of the way –"_

Ron flinched as his own spiteful words echoed agonizingly in his ears. How could he have been so thoughtless, so inconsiderate?

His thoughts were confirmed as Hermione's eyes filled with tears and her lips twisted together; how he wished he could make it stop, do something to stop the tears falling. But instead he was forced to sit there, helpless.

-x-

Hermione stared in dread as the picture twisted into her parents, with hollow smiles and empty eyes that looked right past her.

_EVEN YOUR OWN PARENTS DON'T LOVE YOU, _the voice thundered_.__ THEY DON'T EVEN KNOW WHO YOU ARE... AND YOU CAUSED IT ALL._

"I know," cried Hermione, as to her horror her recurring nightmare from those long lonely nights in the tent began to play in front of her eyelids. _She was falling, being dragged down, down, into the icy darkness – suddenly they appeared above her, and she cried out and reached up to them, threw out her hands in desperation. But no hands strained to clasp her own; her mother and father ignored her, their eyes glazing unseeingly as their only daughter fell down, down, down..._

She couldn't stop the tears. "I'm sorry..." she choked out.

_OH, DON'T BE. _The relish had returned to the voice. _IT'S FAR TOO LATE NOW. AND BESIDES, THEY'RE SO MUCH HAPPIER WITHOUT YOU. WHAT PARENTS WOULDN'T BE? YOU, THE GIRL WHO BARELY SPOKE TO THEM EXCEPT TO GLOAT ABOUT A FANTASTIC WORLD THEY COULD NEVER BE A PART OF – _

"No! I wasn't! I –" protested Hermione weakly, but the voice continued.

_- WHO TRIED TO AVOID GOING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS, LEFT THEM DESPERATELY WONDERING WHERE THEY HAD GONE WRONG – _

The reflection in the water displayed a piece of parchment, a letter, her own handwriting rippling back at her. _Sorry, I'm staying at Hogwarts for Christmas again this year – lots of studying to do! See you soon, _her breezy, uncaring tone sang brashly from the page, making Hermione wince.

_THE GIRL WHO SPENT MORE TIME WRITING TO HER WONDERFUL FRIENDS – _

The ink danced across the parchment as the words changed – Hermione unwittingly leaned closer to distinguish a pile of letters to Harry and Ron.

_- THE 'FRIENDS' _– the voice was syrupy with sarcasm – _WHO NEVER REPLIED..._

"Stop it!" She angrily brushed away the tears, but they insistently kept falling.

_EVEN THE ONE SHE WISHES WERE MORE THAN JUST A FRIEND, WHO SHE KNOWS WILL NEVER LOVE HER BACK – _

-x-

"I know! ... I'm sorry..." The anguish in Hermione's voice was unmistakeable as she looked longingly at her parents. Shining tears mingled with the guilt and sorrow written all over her face.

"Hermione – " Ron tried to distract her, but she seemed as though she was hearing something else, something he couldn't. _The locket spoke to me when I tried to kill it, _he suddenly realised. _But – Harry could hear it too..._

"No! I wasn't! I –" Hermione cried out again, becoming more and more desolate as whatever was taunting her kept up the attack.

"Stop it!" she screamed, and Ron started in surprise as the image turned into himself. He looked at Hermione's face, streaked with tears, as she closed her eyes tightly and desperately shook her head, as if she were trying to block it out. He looked back at the pool: images of him, of him ogling at Fleur, of him and Padma at the Yule Ball, of him kissing Lavender... It didn't make any sense – unless...

-x-

She stopped her eyes from seeing, but she couldn't keep the image from her mind: Ron and Lavender, their bodies twisting together, their lips locked in a fierce embrace...

The ferocious heat Hermione had come to know as jealousy flared dangerously within her. The hand which gripped the fang shook with uncontrollable rage as she plunged it down towards the image of Ron and Lavender – then at the last fraction of a she came to her senses and veered suddenly to the side, towards the cup. Instead of glancing off the surface, the fang sank into the metal like teeth into flesh. The cup emitted a terrible wild scream which ricocheted off the stone walls of the chamber. The sound wrenched through her head like a vice; she clamped her hands over her ears but she couldn't block it out.

Then it was silent.

-x-

Ron stared at Hermione, dumbfounded.

_Unless she loved him too._

Ron held his breath, feeling the need to test a hesitant step before he dared to put any weight on this realisation.

He still felt a bit unnerved by the terrifyingly wild expression that had seized Hermione's features as she stabbed the cup; there was only one other time he could remember seeing Hermione looking like that, and after that encounter he ended up covered in vicious scratches with a peculiar fear of small birds. Now, though, all trace of that expression was gone. The fang clattered echoingly to the floor as Hermione's hand went limp at her side. She continued to gaze, wide-eyed, at the twisted metal cup, and only then, as Ron watched her, did he realise she was shaking uncontrollably.

"Hermione?" he asked uncertainly.

-x-

Slowly the realisation trickled into her brain, making her go cold. _He knows everything._

Ron must have heard it all, all the fears and insecurities, all the emotions she had tried to keep secret all this time. The Horcrux had ripped her soul to pieces and laid it bare for all to see. She had nothing left. The chamber seemed to deepen in its darkness as she sank into despair. There was a battle going on in the rest of the castle that they had almost no hope of winning; who knew how long they had been gone already, how many people had been hurt in their absence? And her parents... a fresh wave of guilt and pain engulfed her as the malicious words of the Horcrux replayed in her mind.

'_They don't even know who you are... and you caused it all...'_

_What had she done?_

And Ron – how could she face him now? She felt her face burn as she remembered the jealousy that had taken hold of her, some of which still lingered, as ever.

"Hermione?"

His tentative voice was full of worry. She bit her lip and turned her face away, willing the tears not to fall.

-x-

She still wouldn't meet his eyes. He crossed to where she sat hugging herself, knelt in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders.

"Hermione, look at me."

Slowly, reluctantly, she raised her tear-stained face to look hesitantly into his eyes. It pained him so much to see her looking so fragile and vulnerable. She was still shaking, her eyes darting between both of his as she bit her lip anxiously. He didn't know what else to do but wrap his arms around her and hold on tight. She collapsed, shuddering, into his chest, hiding her face in his shoulder.

He said fiercely, "Don't listen to it, Hermione. Not a word, alright? Whatever it said to you, I promise you it wasn't true." The image of himself kissing Lavender floated back to him, making him feel the need to angrily emphasise, "_Any _of it". He hoped that she caught the significance of that comment. He muttered darkly, "These things like to mess with your head."

-x-

_Whatever it said to you, I promise it wasn't true._

_Whatever it said... _did that mean he couldn't hear it? She hardly dared hope –

Although a tiny part of her felt a flutter of disappointment. If he just knew how she felt – maybe things would be different –

Hermione inhaled deeply, trying to focus. _We need to get out of here. _But it felt so good just sitting here with his arms around her... It felt safe. Like for a moment, she could forget about the battle.

_We can't afford to forget about it. _She lifted her head and saw Ron was looking at her with such intensity that she dropped her eyes quickly, for fear the heat of his gaze might burn her. Suddenly there was a tangible feeling of awkwardness. He let go of her and stood up, ruffling his hair.

"We, er - need to go," Hermione suggested quietly.

He cleared his throat and agreed. "Yeah, we'd better go and find Harry."

Avoiding each others' eyes, the two of them gathered up the basilisk fangs and walked back the way they had come.


End file.
